What is an emotion?

The words "emotion" and "feeling" are commonly used interchangeably, but an emotion consists of much more than simply how we feel. Marsha Linehan has referred to emotions as full-system responses, because they include physiological reactions (changes in both body chemistry and body language) and thoughts (triggering images, memories, and action urges), as well as the actual feeling we're experiencing (such as the feeling of sadness, anger, anxiety, or whatever). For example, when you experience the feeling of anger, it's not just a feeling; there is that, of course, but you'll also experience physiological reactions: you might feel flushed, your heart rate will increase, your breathing might speed up, your muscles might tense, and so on. You'll also experience angry thoughts (again, these could be thoughts about the current situation, as well as images or memories), and you'll often experience an urge to act (for example, you might want to swear, yell, or throw something).